Chapter 414: The Red and Black Knights

"They played poorly in the first leg, and now they've wasted 45 minutes at home. How are they supposed to catch up?"Suker said lazily while chewing on a banana, completely relaxed.

Truthfully, this Bayern Munich hadn't fully revived yet. The future "Robbery" (Ribéry + Robben) duo was still developing, and Lewandowski was nowhere in sight.

This Bayern squad was a mishmash—some too old, some too young, and the core players weren't stepping up.They lacked a true leader.

That's why Suker didn't believe Bayern had any shot at a comeback.

A comeback?

They didn't even have a breakthrough point.

Rely on who?Makaay? Pizarro? Podolski?

In short, Bayern Munich was destined to be eliminated from the Champions League.AC Milan was firmly in control.

"I think so too," Kaká nodded. "Let's adjust the tactics a bit in the second half—especially to give Paolo and the others some rest. We still have both the Champions League and the league to compete in. We need them."

Suker nodded and turned to Maldini: "Boss, take a break. Leave the rest to us."

"You're just afraid of being subbed off yourself,"Seedorf chuckled. Suker getting upset about being substituted wasn't exactly new.

"Bullshit! I'm just concerned about the old guys' condition."

"Old guys? You just said it! You called us old!"Seedorf burst out laughing and pointed at him.

Suker blinked innocently, "What are you talking about? I didn't catch that."

The others rolled their eyes.

Suker's Italian even had a Milanese accent at this point—and he was pretending not to understand?

"Well anyway, it's up to us now. Let's finish this match smoothly."

Suker tossed the banana peel into the trash and turned to Ancelotti:"Boss, how do we play the second half? Just say the word—we'll get it done!"

Ancelotti smiled as he looked at Suker."Defend in the second half."

Suker lowered his voice: "How about one more goal, then defend? Bayern's totally broken—we could pad our stats here."

"You want to pad stats now? They might break your legs!"

Maldini warned seriously. "Be steady. The important thing is not getting injured."

Seeing how serious Maldini was, Suker sighed and nodded."Alright, alright…"

Second Half – Sides Switch

Bayern Munich came out like madmen in the first 20 minutes—pressing hard, attacking frantically.

Maybe their coach gave a passionate halftime speech. Maybe they were just trying to save face. Either way, they played aggressively.

But morale only lasts so long.

And when 20 minutes of all-out offense yielded nothing, Bayern's spirit sank even lower than in the first half.

Those 20 minutes were a last-ditch effort. Milan withstood it—and in doing so, crushed Bayern's last ounce of hope.

After that, Bayern's performance got even worse than in the first half.

Many players simply stopped running.They were panting heavily, looking like they'd already accepted defeat.

AC Milan didn't press them too hard either.

Who knows—if they provoked them again, the desperate players might get reckless.

Maldini was right: they needed to secure the win steadily.

Bayern may be out, but Milan's Champions League journey continued.

With the semifinals and finals looming—and opponents getting stronger—they couldn't afford injuries now.

"Time keeps ticking, but Bayern's attack continues to stall. Many fans in the stadium are already leaving. They can't take watching this kind of defeat—especially at home."—The German commentator sighed.

Across two legs, Bayern hadn't scored a single goal—until now.

Was the Bundesliga truly in decline?Couldn't even beat a struggling Serie A side?

And what about Bayern's young talents?

Podolski, Schweinsteiger, Lahm…

They were all hyped up, but completely outclassed by AC Milan.

Especially when you compared them to Suker and Kaká—the so-called "German wonderkids" paled in comparison.

With a passionless game, the minutes ticked by quickly.

Then came stoppage time.

Near the end of extra time, Nesta, in a one-on-one with Pizarro, "slipped" and fell.

Pizarro fired a low shot into the net.

But even after scoring, he kept his head down—he wasn't happy at all.

Suker watched Nesta stand up and grinned."Dude, that dive was way too fake."

They didn't need to humiliate the opponent. Letting in one goal was a form of respect.

With the result already decided, Milan "let one in" so Bayern could save a bit of face.

Full Time – 90 Minutes

2006/2007 UEFA Champions League Quarterfinals – Two LegsAC Milan 7:1 Bayern Munich

Milan advanced to the Champions League semifinals once again.

They flew back to Italy that very night.

Two straight victories, and back in the final four of Europe's top competition.

Especially impressive considering they were defending Champions League title-holders—their performances had all of Europe on high alert.

Since the Champions League was restructured, no club had ever won back-to-back titles.

Not even Real Madrid, the most successful club in Champions League history.

But now, AC Milan was getting closer and closer to that goal—and the media was starting to change its tone.

Once, bashing and mocking Milan drew attention.

That was largely due to the Calciopoli scandal. The image of Italian football had suffered, and as one of its biggest clubs, Milan took the brunt of the hate.

But now?They were clawing their way back with stunning performances—Beating Real Madrid and Bayern Munich back-to-back to reach the semifinals.

The media couldn't sit still.

Back-to-back Champions League titles?!That's a goldmine of headlines!

Major newspapers across Europe rushed to prepare front-page stories overnight.

📰 "Milan! Milan! The Red and Black Knights Aim to Defend Their Crown!"

📰 "AC Milan to Repeat? The Rossoneri Chase European Glory!"

📰 "Calciopoli Can't Stop Milan – This is the Power of a True Giant!"

📰 "Suker – Milan's Secret Weapon on the Road to the Throne!"

Suddenly, all of Europe was talking about Milan.

If they defended their title, everything might change.

They might reverse the trend of losing pull in the transfer market.

After all, top players hungry for Champions League glory would be watching closely.

If Milan did it, how could they possibly stay away?

Recently, Milan had also been ramping up PR—Promoting their culture, their ambitions, their vision.

All in an effort to regain their influence in the transfer market.

While AC Milan promoted themselves, Inter Milan was busy complaining to the Italian Football Federation.

According to the original schedule, Inter was supposed to play Milan this round.

They wanted to strike while Milan was exhausted from the Champions League and deal them a critical blow.

But the federation rescheduled the match to the final round—Matchday 38.

Inter was furious.

What's this?

Champions League teams get special treatment?

Non-European teams are second-class?

The federation tried to calm Inter down—but they didn't change the schedule.

After all, AC Milan was now the pride of Serie A—their most valuable brand.

They couldn't afford for anything to go wrong with Milan's campaign.

The next day, the Champions League quarterfinals wrapped up.The final four teams were confirmed:

Manchester United

Chelsea

Liverpool

AC Milan

This year, the Premier League was surging—fierce competition in the league, and now three teams in the Champions League semifinals.

Ferguson's Manchester United

Mourinho's Chelsea

Benítez's Liverpool

Ancelotti's AC Milan

With the semifinals set, the Champions League grew even more intense and exciting.